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Snap Ships interview: Creating a multi-format product for the 21st century

We speak with the inventors of the successful AR-enabled spacecraft kits and animated series known as Snap Ships.

Chris Jarrard

February 19, 2021 12:55 PM

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There isn’t much cooler than cool toys and Snap Ships certainly fit into that category. This series of modular spacecraft allows for endless customization and fun. The build kits are made up of interconnecting cubes that enable building and re-building of the craft as you please. Snap Ships also have an animated series to go along with the kits that flesh out the universe.

Our Video Editor Greg Burke got the opportunity to sit down with Scott Pease and Jeff Swenty, co-inventors of Snap Ships, to discuss the creation of the lineup and what makes these kits different from the rest.

Unlike most model kits that end up sitting on shelves or in display cases, Snap Ships are designed to be played with and can be made to fire their weapons. It's possible for fans to recreate encounters from the popular Youtube series Snap Ships: Dawn of Battle. 

Pease and Swenty started off by prototyping different designs with a 3D printer. There were difficulties in designing pieces that could work with mass-production injection molding as the process of 3D printing an object and injection molding is fundamentally different. 

The discussion also focused on the mobile app that accompanies the kits, it allows owners to see the ships with engine trails or in the midst of explosions, similar to how the space battle would play out in the imagination. The app also makes use of augmented reality technology to put animated versions of the Snap Ships into real-life scenes.

Be sure to check out the full video above for more details on Snap Ship kits and the narrative universe. For more interviews with toy and hobby product creators and all the folks responsible for creating the biggest games in the industry, be sure to check out the Shacknews and GamerHubTV YouTube channels.

Chris Jarrard

Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.